Two more pilots for Taiwan’s national air carrier China Airlines (CAL) have tested positive for COVID-19. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced the new infections on Monday afternoon. That brings the total number of infected pilots to nine in just one week.
Health officials are working to trace the origin of the infections and are not yet saying they are part of a “cluster infection”.
The first confirmed infection at the airline was an Indonesian pilot who tested positive on April 20 in Australia. He tested positive for COVID-19 after reporting an itchy throat. The CECC ordered 1,270 airline pilots to undergo COVID-19 tests as a follow-up measure. So far, they have identified nine pilots who have contracted the disease.
One of the new cases announced on Monday is a pilot in his 30’s. He returned to Taiwan on April 22, after a flight to the US. He was undergoing a 14-day quarantine when he began experiencing symptoms, including a cough and a fever.
The other case is a pilot in his 50’s. The pilot tested negative for COVID-19 after returning from his most recent flight. He exhibited no symptoms, but later tested positive after the CECC ordered tests for all CAL pilots.
Health authorities have followed up with nine contacts of the two pilots so far.